About Me

I feel I am able to communicate
well and I have a good grounding
in people skills.......Basically
all humanity is the same!
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The foundation of this blog was cemented by the Assassination of Hrant Dink on 19.01.07. I was listening to Setrak Setrakian’s rendition of Arno Babajanian’s composition, Elegy. So
moved by Hrant’s shortened life by the virtue of speaking his mind that I wrote the poem, ‘Without You’ with Hrant's family in mind. The subject matter of the recognition of the ‘Genocide of the Armenians in 1915,’ is very much at the heart and the minds of Armenian's Internationally.
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I want to say: 'Thank you,'
to Keith for the Creation
and Launch of,
Seta's Armenian.blogspot.com
and Armenag for the sources
of information.
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If you feel it would be appropriate, please include a link to my Blog from your Site. I would like my Blog to be as eclectic as possible and include material from as many and different sources so long as it is relevant to my subject matter.

About My Blog

This well-established Blog is worth visiting on a regular basis for a wealth of information of interest to Armenian nationals and to the Armenian Diaspora world-wide. Although it has a particular role in promoting international recognition of the Genocide, the Blog encompasses much more and includes many articles of general appeal to all those concerned with Armenian affairs. Much of the content is difficult or impossible to find elsewhere and the long list of links provided gives easy access to a plethora of material on social, political, religious, educational and cultural matters, and many news items from around the world.

Yerevan, Armenia - On September 15, 2010, Armenia Fund (Hayastan All-Armenian Fund) jointly with the Indian Embassy in Armenia unveiled a renovated school in the borderline Artsni village of Armenia’s Lori region. The thorough reconstruction of the school was financed by the Government of India. The AMD 80 million ($221,000 USD) grant to Armenia Fund was provided by the Indian Government’s Development Assistance Program.

The project resulted in the complete reconstruction of one of the two main buildings of the two-storied school, originally built in 1962. The entire structure was stripped to bear concrete, re-piped, re-plastered and repainted. Improvements include a new roof as well as newly hardwood floors, doors, and windows. A new boiler room was built to provide the school with heating during harsh winters.

One of the newly reconstructed classrooms in the Artsni Village School.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by the entire Artsni community. Dignitaries present at the event included The Honorable Achal Kumar Malhotra, Ambassador of India to Armenia, Sergey Manasaryan, Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister of Armenia, Aram Kocharyan, Governor of Lori Region and Ara Vardanyan, Executive Director of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund.

“I am so very happy to be here today celebrating the opening of this beautiful school. We live in a time when a good education is of critical importance to the advancement of the individual, the society, and the entire nation. Of equal importance is the environment in which young people receive their education. I am delighted that the government of India brought its modest contribution to this wonderful project,” said Ambassador Malhotra.

“This is a marvelous achievement. We find it deeply touching that the Government of India extended a helping hand to an Armenian border village. Artsni has a future now because of this well-functioning school,” said Governor Kocharyan.

A jubilant scene from the opening

The population of Artsni – a village situated only half a mile away from the Armenian-Georgian border – has been steadily decreasing since the early 1990s. In the 1980s, 300 students attended the village school, whereas currently there are only 49 students who attend the newly-remodeled school.

Artsni is home to another major Armenia Fund project – a newly built community center that will open its doors within days.

“If we are to give villagers a compelling reason to continue to live in their communities, we must strive to address the most serious of the issues in the village. Today we witness the opening of a remodeled school. Soon Armenia Fund will unveil the new community center. It is through these projects that the community’s future will be forged,” said Vardanyan.

Armenia Fund, Inc., is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation established in 1994 to facilitate large-scale humanitarian and infrastructure development assistance to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Since 1991, Armenia Fund has rendered more than $200 million in development aid to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Armenia Fund, Inc. is the U.S. Western Region affiliate of “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund. Tax ID# 95-4485698

If you do not see the graphics below, click here to view in a new window.To ensure delivery, please add anct@anctoronto.org to your contact list.

For Immediate Release

September 28, 2010

MARKHAM, Ontario - On Saturday, September 25, 2010, The Armenian National Committee of Toronto (ANCT) organized a reception on behalf of the Armenian community of Markham for a number of candidates running for leadership positions in the upcoming Town of Markham municipal elections.

The event was held in the home of ANCT member and Markham resident, Nshan (Mark) Atikian who welcomed a number of candidates including: Deputy Mayor Jack Heath; Regional Councillor Gordon Landon; current Councillor for Ward 6 and Regional Council candidate, Dan Horchik; Councillor for Ward 8, Alex Chiu; and Councillor Candidate for Ward 6, Khalid Usman.

Mr. Atikian said about the event, "Today served as an excellent opportunity for the candidates from the Town of Markham to meet with the Armenian National Committee's election team, as well as their own constituents, to express their vision for the Town of Markham, while also hearing the questions and concerns of the Armenian community."

The candidates were each given the opportunity to speak on the issues they feel are most important to the continued growth and success of Markham. They spoke about issues such as taxes, waste management, energy, public transportation and traffic.

ANCT representatives with candidates in the Town of Markham.

ANCT Chair, Vahan Ajamian noted, "This reception served as a good way to discuss issues of concern with candidates looking to be our elected representatives for the next four years. The ANCT will be publishing our endorsement list very shortly for key races in the Town of Markham and City of Toronto. I am sure our community will take it into consideration and go and make its voice heard on October 25, 2010."

For more information, or to volunteer with the ANCT during the election campaign contact: Araz Hasserjian - araz.hasserjian@anctoronto.org or 416-491-2900.

About ANCTThe Armenian National Committee of Toronto is a chapter of the Armenian National Committee of Canada, grassroots organization that was founded in 1965 to address the concerns of the Canadian Armenian community of a broad range of issues.

‘On Murder, Considered as One of the Fine Arts’ is a tract by the English writer Thomas De Quincey. A witty and provocative oration. Ranging from Cain and Abel through the medieval Assassins and on to Burke and Hare, via the murders, real or imagined, of thinkers like Descartes, Spinoza and Kant. But murder as a moral or judicial act did not much interest De Quincey. Rather, he dealt with the subject aesthetically, from the point of view of a philosophy of ‘good taste’. England had seen societies for the promotion of vice, Hell Fire Clubs, even an association formed for the suppression of virtue. (A topical concept, surely. It now exists and it rages on.) Could not a new society be set up for the encouragement of murder, he wondered? Or, more euphemistically, a society for the aesthetically curious in homicide, the connoisseurs in murder? The murder-fanciers, so to speak? Good job De Quincey restricted himself to satire, black humour and literary conceit, or Scotland Yard might have haunted him.

Although Brazilian artist Gil Vicente might never have heard of On Murder, his art has distinctly Quincean echoes. Nine of his charcoal drawings currently in the Sao Paulo Biennial exhibition depict him about to slaughter some recognisable public figures. Israel’s Ariel Sharon, Brazil’s President Lula, George W. Bush, Queen Elizabeth II, Pope Benedict, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the like. For the artist’s, they are all ‘enemies’. ‘They kill so many people’ he allegedly claimed. Most of them he just shoots, whereas for his own President he chooses the butcher’s knife, cutting his throat, like a sheep offered in primitive sacrifice.

The chosen sitters evince a certain shrewdness or low cunning in the artist. Sharon’s execution might have aroused fearsome pro-Israeli wrath. (The comatose ex-PM is virtually dead, anyway. What would be the point of killing a corpse?) Ahmadinejad’s shooting redresses the balance. Despite his apparent daring the painter follows a sensibly bourgeois via media. He gives ‘un colpo al cerchio e uno alla botte’, as we say in Italian. The maverick Iranian leader has become everyone’s favourite whipping boy. I don’t reckon Sao Paulo is teeming with vengeful Shia Muslims. You know how to play it safe, Gil.

Murdering the Pope? That is not so irrational. I don’t mean to invoke the strident atheist brigade and the liberal lovelies that agitate against Benedict. It is not that. As a living icon of Christ, the Pope is called not only to serve and follow Jesus but also to represent him in a deeper way. He has to be, as Supreme Pontiff, an Alter Christus, another Christ. As human intolerance and hatred of the light murdered Christ 2000 years ago, it would not be unfitting for the Pope to fall victim to the same odious inhumanity. Indeed, the drawing shows the Pope raising up his hands towards his murderer, as if he was acting as High Priest, celebrating the great sacrament of the Eucharist. So, if the drawing was meant as a smart-alecky joke, it has actually turned out to symbolise something really true and significant. The image conveys a mystical truth – and the joke actually is on the painter.

The assassination of the Queen the priest cannot make any sense of. She is a constitutional monarch. Indeed, a mere figurehead. As such, she reigns but does not rule or govern. When she opens parliament, she simply reads out speeches written for her by the Prime Minister. She is not morally responsible for the actions of her government and ministers. The anarchists and nihilists of old might have felt justified in butchering Tsars and other tyrants. (None of Vicente’s Enemies is a dictator, strictly speaking. They all came to power after elections.) Shooting in the back an 84-year-old grandmother, however, is no act of bravery. It makes me really angry. I am trying to think of a condign punishment for this impudent Brazilian cuss....oh, yes! I have it! I’d have him bitten to death by the Queen’s corgi dogs. Those lively Welsh pets with short legs, long ears and sharp teeth. They would savage the impudent fellow ferociously. It would serve him right.

One thing is certain, Gil. You are no Michelangelo or Leonardo. Not even a Salvador Dali. Your drawings look like the sort of cheap stuff aimed at tourists you can see hanging here in London at week-ends on Green Park railings. Monochrome and crudely representational, they are telltale. Yes, they tell the tale of the utter mediocrity, the poverty of your craftsmanship. You spent too long training with the gun, perhaps. Shooting at close quarters requires no great skills but painting...oh, man, the painter’s hand needs real training. And flair. And genius occasionally, too. De Quincey’s murders were example of Fine Arts. I see nothing fine or artistic in your exercises. Sorry, I have got to break it to you – cruel to be kind - you are in the wrong job.

Preaching, moralism and didacticism are perennial artistic temptations. Artists who succumb to them end up producing crap. Rarely, they succeed, like in Picasso’s Guernica, or in Goya’s Caprichos. Most of the time, however, the conjunction of art and virtue results in the stultifying banalities of Soviet art, the banal socialist realism sponsored by Stalin and his ilk. And artists who pursue the romantic model, who turn their own lives into a work of art, usually do so at their peril. But at least a Byron and a Van Gogh and a Burroughs put their own lives on the chopping block. They had guts. What could Gil do to emulate them? Hmmm, tricky.

The legend about the mysterious Austrian actionist Rudolf Schwartzkogler could perhaps serve as a model. That chap allegedly displayed bits of his own body in various exhibitions. Starting with innocent nails clippings and hair. Then he moved on to mutilating other bodily parts, a finger, an ear and...I’ll spare you the gory details. A remarkable collection that must have been in art galleries. It seems the artist at last expired through his art. Mad as a hatter, sure but...I kind of respect the guy. He turned his own body into iconography. Brave man!

Sunday, 26 September 2010

Given the U.S. Senate’s action on the nominee for U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan and the announcement of the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia’s Diaspora Tour this week, we thought you would appreciate the following list of items for your consideration along with announcements regarding two events this weekend.

THANK SEN. BOXER FOR BLOCKING BRYZA

Despite serious concerns regarding Matthew Bryza’s unusually close ties to Azerbaijani government officials, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to approve his nomination as U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan on September 21. Following the vote, Senator Barbara Boxer placed a “hold” on the nomination, which prevents fast-tracked Senate consideration of the Bryza nomination, effectively blocking his confirmation for this ambassadorial post. To learn more, please visit http://anca.org. Please take a moment to thank Sen. Boxer for blocking the Bryza nomination by calling (202) 224-3553.

AMBASSADOR MARIE L. YOVANOVITCH TO VISIT ARMENIAN DIASPORA IN THE U.S.

On October 3-14, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Marie L. Yovanovitch will travel to the U.S. to meet with representatives of the Armenian-American Diaspora community in Philadelphia, Detroit, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. She looks forward to exchanging views on current developments in Armenia, U.S-Armenian relations, and U.S. assistance to Armenia.

In all of the cities, the Ambassador will hold public Town Hall Meetings with all interested members of the Armenian community. In addition, she will meet with members of youth groups, representatives of community organizations, as well as clergy.

The Town Hall Meeting in San Francisco is scheduled for October 7, 2010, 7:00 pm at the San Francisco Marriot Marquis. Additional information about the Ambassador’s trip, as well as updates to the schedule, will be posted on the U.S. Embassy Facebook page at www.facebook.com/usdos.armenia. Updates will be also available through Twitter at www.twitter.com/usembarmenia. Finally, the public can email questions about the tour to DiasporaTour@state.gov.

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The truly historic religious service in Holy Cross (Surp Khach - inArmenian) church of Akhtamar Island in eastern Turkish province of Vansuccessfully took place on September 19, without any unduly incident.

Around 500 policemen with dogs supervised the peace for the worshipersand pilgrims.

Akhtamar Armenian church, a silent remnant of the Armenian 10th centuryheritage on those lands got renovated by the European-oriented Turkishgovernment of AK party in 2007, months after Hrant Dink was murderedin front of his newspaper offices. Back then the church was openedup only as a museum, uncrossed, unhallowed, and exclusively underjurisdiction of Ministry of Culture. The things remained there forthe years leading to the first-ever religious ceremony in 95 years,despite earlier hopes to the positive developments.

With this in mind, the fact that this church is renovated is muchbetter than thousands of those Armenian churches in Turkey stillin ruins.

>From September 20 and onwards the developments around the islandwill be of more interest for those who believe in the power of theso-called "Sevres syndrome". As a nation that lives with its pastside by side, the Armenians - both from Diaspora and Armenia-proper -will discover the lost lands of their ancestors and, perhaps, thewealthiest of them will start investing there, paving the way to theReconquista. Ironically, if this happens Armenians in Yerevan will bemore negative about border-opening and normalization on the principlessigned in Zurich 2009.

The first signs of this happened just on the ceremony day.

A guy from now-Turkish Mush province, as Turks call those - a donmehor an Islamized Armenian - was offering the pilgrims to enjoy grapesfrom his hometown, and was quoted by some outlets as "being satisfiedwith the sole fact of seeing Armenians smiling".

Another donmeh, a 70-year now-Kurdish Armenian woman who didn't everget married and didn't have any heirs, was quoted as saying she "feltperfect, since she was there in search of her roots". This quote seemsto be quite symbolic since around 1000 Armenians from every corner ofthe world went to Akhtamar in search of something on September 19 -lost home and property, to give a traditional kiss to the land anddrink the water, and, at the end of the day, in search for oneself.

As new groups of Armenians traveling in those territories of EasternTurkey - they will have more and more chances to interact with locals,which, in turn, will have no immediate, but sound consequences inthe years to come.

Written by Hovhannes Nikoghosyan Mr. Nikoghosyan is a research fellowat Yerevan-based Public Policy Institute.

In an interview with one of the Turkish TV channels Rober Koptas, theEditor of Agos bilingual Armenian-Turkish daily, spoke of difficultiesof being an Armenian in Turkey.

He noted that his relatives called him Rober, though his passport nameis Murad, as his father did not want his son to have difficultiesbecause of his name, while serving in the army. Speaking about schoolyears, Rober mentioned that he did not want to sing Turkey's anthem.

According to the Agos editor, it is very difficult to be an Armenianin Turkey. The word `Armenian' is used as swearing. One of hisfriends, who is not Armenian, was not allowed to take a taxi, as he isworking for Agos newspaper, Rober stressed.

Rober Koptas also commented on the religious service in Surb Khachchurch on Akhtamar Island, saying that it should remain a church, nota museum. The Agos editor stressed that he believes in sincerity ofauthorities' Armenian initiatives.

*The Turkish government wants to improve relations with Armenia, but is itready to leave behind decades of nationalist dogma and fully confront thecountry's past?*

>From the vantage point of the ancient castle, perched atop a rocky outcrop,you can see the whole of the city of Van, spread out between the dazzlingblue of the great lake and the jagged mountains to the east.

It is a featureless sprawl of ugly apartment blocks that you might find inany provincial Turkish city. Nothing suggests that it has any history goingback more than a few decades.

If you then look to the south, directly beneath you is an area of roughgrass, criss-crossed by a maze of paths, with just a few fragments ofbuildings still visible. The story of how the Armenians vanished is not discussed

in Van today

This is Old Van, a city that, until its destruction, had been continuouslyinhabited for more than 3,000 years.

And a large part of the people who inhabited it were Armenians - it had oncebeen at the heart of a great Armenian empire.

Today there are almost none.

The only two buildings still standing there are mosques. Of the dozen or sochurches, there is no trace.

The story of how the Armenians vanished from their historic homeland is notdiscussed in Van today.

The city proudly describes the waves of invaders who have passed through -Parthians, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Seljuk Turks - but the Armenians whodominated the city just a century ago are hardly mentioned.

This is not surprising really, when you consider that the Ottoman Empire'sbiggest minority was driven out of Anatolia in 1915 on ghastly deathmarches.

At least half, maybe much more, of the original population died, in

what many historians call the modern world's first genocide.

Today the inhabitants of Van are mainly Kurdish, some probably thedescendants of those who killed and seized the property of the Armenians.

The current Turkish government is the first one to seek some kind ofaccommodation with its Armenian past.

It needs to if it is to fulfil its ambition to be a regional power and to bepart of the European Union.

That is why it permitted a Christian service to take place last Sunday inthe beautiful little church on Akhtamar Island in Lake Van.

It is the only historic Armenian building still standing in easternAnatolia, and among the most holy for Armenian Christians.

*'Bittersweet'*

I happened to be in a bus with an Armenian choir from Istanbul who had beeninvited to sing at the service.

They were being treated as VIPs - the municipal government wanted them tofeel welcome - and we were being given a tour. About 1,000 Armenians came

to the rocky island for the service

Our guide was a young local woman called Fatima. She had won over her

guests by singing some lovely renditions of old Armenian ballads.

But when she pointed out the wasteland that is the old city today, all shecould say was that the Armenians had, in her words, "disappeared".

For a few moments the bus went quiet then everyone broke into song again.

None of the Istanbul Armenians wanted to talk about the past. They are avery small community, acutely aware of their vulnerability.

The Armenians who had come from the United States for the service were moreforthright.

"It's bittersweet, coming here," said one man whose grandparents had fledfrom Van during the killings.

"We're like parallel cultures, we even look the same," he said, "only wehate each other."

He said there had been strong pressure on him from other American Armeniansnot to come - they saw the one-off church service as a cynical publicitystunt by Turkey.

At times on Sunday it did seem like that.

The local government had invited an army of journalists to witness theservice who threatened to overwhelm the congregation. It also invited localMuslims, who talked and laughed all the way through it.

No-one made any effort to respect the sanctity of the ceremony.

A local boatman told me he was puzzled by the way they were praying.

He had never seen a Christian service before. "And why are they crying,"

he asked? He had no idea.

*No discussion*

The Turkish government still fiercely defends its version of history - thatwhat happened in 1915 was a tragedy, not a war crime.

In Van, it points out, the Armenians took up arms. For a while theycontrolled the city and later they helped enemy Russian forces to occupy it.Today, most of the population of Van are Kurds

In the chaos of war, it says, large numbers of Turkish Muslims also died.

But the annihilation of the Armenians is simply blanked out of the

history taught in Turkish schools.

There is no discussion, and real dangers await those who try to start

one.

It is less than four years since the Armenian journalist Hrant Dink wasmurdered in Istanbul by a young nationalist for calling for just such adebate.

"This church service is pointless if the Turkish government only wants

to appear more tolerant," one Armenian journalist told me.

"It has to change the mindset of the people. Make them confront their

past."

In the dreary avenues of modern-day Van, that process has not started yet.Its history is still buried under layers of concrete and by Turkey'suncompromising nationalist dogma.

The historic religious ceremony held September 19 at Sourb KhachChurch (Saint Cross) in eastern Turkey will have long-lasting effects,according to Armenians who anticipate more churches being restored andmore people reclaiming their ethnic identities, writes Hurriet DailyNews.

"Families from all corners of Turkey are coming to us in search of theroots of their families. Members of my own family have changed theiridentity cards to be listed as Christian," Archbishop Aram Atesyan,Deputy Patriarch of the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul, told thepaper. "Many people who had 'Muslim' written in their identity cardsare confessing that they are hidden Armenians."

Following the Armenian Genocide in the waning days of the OttomanEmpire, many of those remaining in the area changed their names andassumed identities as Kurdish Muslims. According to Atesyan, thecurrent process of democratization in Turkey is slowly eliminating thefears that led people to take such measures.

That process had perhaps its most dramatic manifestation to date inthe rite at the Sourb Khach on Akhtamar Island near the easternprovince of Van, the first such service to be held there in 95 years.Though that church has been the subject of intense media focus, it isonly one of several Armenian monasteries and churches in the province,where a number of villages are still known by their Armenian names.Local residents say many of the buildings have been demolished,especially since the mid-1990s.

In the village of Nareg, 40 kilometers north of Van, only a few

stones remain of the Naregevank Monastery complex, which a

man who identified himself only as Mahmet said the village people

were ordered to demolish in the 1990s. Homes have been built on

the former site in Nareg, a village named for the 10th-century

prominent philosopher and poet St. Grigor Narekatsi. Mahmet, 95,

who said he is of Kurdish origin, also claimed the governor's

building in the center of Van was built from the stones taken from

the Naregevank Monastery.

Varakavank Monastery to be restored

The Varakavank Monastery in the village of Yukari Bakracli, also knownas "seven churches," is little better off than its counterpart inNareg. Only one floor is left of the once-impressive monastery, builtin 1003 by the Armenian King Senekerim. All of the invaluablemanuscripts once held in its library have been lost.

The Van Governor's Office told the Daily News in August that themonastery will soon be restored, as will the Ktuts Monastery on

Lake Van's Carpanak Island, part of efforts to turn Van into the

culture and tourism center of Turkey's East.

The owner and guardian of the now-defunct Varakavank Monastery is anArmenian who hides his ethnic identity. Kerim avoided revealing hisfamily name and introduced himself as a Kurdish Muslim. Kerim saidwhen his father died he left the monastery's land to him and said heshould protect the church at any cost, in the name of Christ.

"His wish surprised me. We were Muslim and I did not understand

why he wanted me to protect the church in the name of Christ,"

Kerim said, adding that he only learned upon insistent questioning

of older relatives that the family was in fact Armenian.

Kerim said he worked as the village imam for all his life and lived asa pious Muslim. He keeps the monastery locked and maintains strictcontrol over the visitors who are allowed to enter. He cleaned theinterior on his own and laid all the stones in a corner, in numericalorder, in hopes that it will one day be restored. Because he isinfluential in the village, no one interferes with his efforts, butKerim said he has experienced a lot of difficulties in his life.

"It was not that easy to protect this place," he said.

Fears and hopes of finds

The small steps toward reclaiming Van's Armenian past have arousedsome controversy and speculation. Mehmet Tuncel Aga, the guide whoaccompanied the Daily News to the villages in the area, said the landsArmenians had to leave in 1915 are now under the control of his Burikiclan, one of the biggest in eastern and southeastern Anatolia. The sonof Fariz Aga, the head of the clan, Tuncel Aga said members of theTurkmen tribes who settled in the homes abandoned by the

Armenians feared their houses would be reclaimed by Armenians

who came to attend the Aktamar rite.

According to Tuncel Aga, there was considerable uneasiness among thembefore the ceremony, and many people came to share their fears withthe leaders of the tribe. "We said the fears are groundless and thatthe Armenians were just coming for the ceremony," he said, adding thathe made every effort to host the Armenians from Istanbul who came toVan for the event.

Tuncel Aga also said Victor Bedoyan, an Armenian-American

entrepreneur who tried to set up a business in Van in 2002, was treated

unjustly. "He opened a hotel here with the name Vartan, but some did

not want to see an Armenian managing a hotel. It was closed by the

Culture Ministry. We did not object to it. We made a mistake. We did

not foresee the current situation," Tuncel Aga said.

If the opportunity to open the hotel had not been taken from Bedoyan,then the region would see more tourists today, he added.

Coordinator of an educational commission created by Armenianfoundations of Istanbul at Yesilkoy School, Garo Paylan said that theArmenian schools of Istanbul lack teachers of Armenian language, as aresult of which children gradually forget their mother tongue.Besides, chairs of Armenian language do not operate in Turkey'suniversities yet.

"The number of people who know Western Armenian at an academicianlevel is very limited in Turkey - only 5-10 people," said Paylan,adding that they also face problems with books.

He noted that problems of security and existence of Armenian schoolsare partially solved today. "After the murder of editor-in-chief ofAgos paper Hrant Dink, the Armenian educational institutions werereceiving letters with threats. And some parents did not want theirchildren to attend Armenian schools. However, these difficulties havebeen overcome partially. Financing is another important issue. TheTurkish government does not allocate a penny. There are 16 Armenianschools in Istanbul with 3,000 students. Until 1974, the Turkish statehad been paying for each student under the Treaty of Lausanne.Currently, the community allocates funds, while the Diaspora does notassist anyhow the Armenian educational institutions of Istanbul,"Bianet agency quoted Paylan as saying.

The CIS Youth Symphonic Orchestra had a concert late on Friday inYerevan's Opera House, conducted by famous Russian violinist, ArtDirector of the Virtuosos of Moscow and SSSR Folk Artist VladimirSpivakov.

The concert had brought five young Azerbaijani musicians in a rareBaku-Yerevan flight. Accompanied by former Armenian ambassador toRussia, Armen Smbatyan, also Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Russia PoladBulbuloglu was attending the concert.

Before the concert would begin, Mikhail Shvidkov, advisor to Russianpresident on cooperation in cultural issues, welcomed the initiative.He said that this is a very brave decision as also Azerbaijanimusicians were taking part in the concert.

"These youth have come into this world to teach us that we must livein peace," said he.

After the concert famous Armenian duduk master, Jivan Gasparyan,shared impressions.

"It is a wonderful idea. This is the good will of the peoples, itsymbolizes peace. All the people must leave in peace together," saidhe.

Armenia's President Serzh Sargsyan and first lady Rita Sargsyan werealso present at the concert.

Coordinator of an educational commission created by Armenianfoundations of Istanbul at Yesilkoy School, Garo Paylan said that theArmenian schools of Istanbul lack teachers of Armenian language, as aresult of which children gradually forget their mother tongue.Besides, chairs of Armenian language do not operate in Turkey'suniversities yet.

"The number of people who know Western Armenian at an academicianlevel is very limited in Turkey - only 5-10 people," said Paylan,adding that they also face problems with books.

He noted that problems of security and existence of Armenian schoolsare partially solved today. "After the murder of editor-in-chief ofAgos paper Hrant Dink, the Armenian educational institutions werereceiving letters with threats. And some parents did not want theirchildren to attend Armenian schools. However, these difficulties havebeen overcome partially. Financing is another important issue. TheTurkish government does not allocate a penny. There are 16 Armenianschools in Istanbul with 3,000 students. Until 1974, the Turkish statehad been paying for each student under the Treaty of Lausanne.Currently, the community allocates funds, while the Diaspora does notassist anyhow the Armenian educational institutions of Istanbul,"Bianet agency quoted Paylan as saying.

The CIS Youth Symphonic Orchestra had a concert late on Friday inYerevan's Opera House, conducted by famous Russian violinist, ArtDirector of the Virtuosos of Moscow and SSSR Folk Artist VladimirSpivakov.

The concert had brought five young Azerbaijani musicians in a rareBaku-Yerevan flight. Accompanied by former Armenian ambassador toRussia, Armen Smbatyan, also Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Russia PoladBulbuloglu was attending the concert.

Before the concert would begin, Mikhail Shvidkov, advisor to Russianpresident on cooperation in cultural issues, welcomed the initiative.He said that this is a very brave decision as also Azerbaijanimusicians were taking part in the concert.

"These youth have come into this world to teach us that we must livein peace," said he.

After the concert famous Armenian duduk master, Jivan Gasparyan,shared impressions.

"It is a wonderful idea. This is the good will of the peoples, itsymbolizes peace. All the people must leave in peace together," saidhe.

Armenia's President Serzh Sargsyan and first lady Rita Sargsyan werealso present at the concert.

In an interview with one of the Turkish TV channels Rober Koptas, theEditor of Agos bilingual Armenian-Turkish daily, spoke of difficultiesof being an Armenian in Turkey.

He noted that his relatives called him Rober, though his passport nameis Murad, as his father did not want his son to have difficultiesbecause of his name, while serving in the army. Speaking about schoolyears, Rober mentioned that he did not want to sing Turkey's anthem.

According to the Agos editor, it is very difficult to be an Armenianin Turkey. The word `Armenian' is used as swearing. One of hisfriends, who is not Armenian, was not allowed to take a taxi, as he isworking for Agos newspaper, Rober stressed.

Rober Koptas also commented on the religious service in Surb Khachchurch on Akhtamar Island, saying that it should remain a church, nota museum. The Agos editor stressed that he believes in sincerity ofauthorities' Armenian initiatives.

*The Turkish government wants to improve relations with Armenia, but is itready to leave behind decades of nationalist dogma and fully confront thecountry's past?*

>From the vantage point of the ancient castle, perched atop a rocky outcrop,you can see the whole of the city of Van, spread out between the dazzlingblue of the great lake and the jagged mountains to the east.

It is a featureless sprawl of ugly apartment blocks that you might find inany provincial Turkish city. Nothing suggests that it has any history goingback more than a few decades.

If you then look to the south, directly beneath you is an area of roughgrass, criss-crossed by a maze of paths, with just a few fragments ofbuildings still visible. The story of how the Armenians vanished is not discussed

in Van today

This is Old Van, a city that, until its destruction, had been continuouslyinhabited for more than 3,000 years.

And a large part of the people who inhabited it were Armenians - it had oncebeen at the heart of a great Armenian empire.

Today there are almost none.

The only two buildings still standing there are mosques. Of the dozen or sochurches, there is no trace.

The story of how the Armenians vanished from their historic homeland is notdiscussed in Van today.

The city proudly describes the waves of invaders who have passed through -Parthians, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Seljuk Turks - but the Armenians whodominated the city just a century ago are hardly mentioned.

This is not surprising really, when you consider that the Ottoman Empire'sbiggest minority was driven out of Anatolia in 1915 on ghastly deathmarches.

At least half, maybe much more, of the original population died, in

what many historians call the modern world's first genocide.

Today the inhabitants of Van are mainly Kurdish, some probably thedescendants of those who killed and seized the property of the Armenians.

The current Turkish government is the first one to seek some kind ofaccommodation with its Armenian past.

It needs to if it is to fulfil its ambition to be a regional power and to bepart of the European Union.

That is why it permitted a Christian service to take place last Sunday inthe beautiful little church on Akhtamar Island in Lake Van.

It is the only historic Armenian building still standing in easternAnatolia, and among the most holy for Armenian Christians.

*'Bittersweet'*

I happened to be in a bus with an Armenian choir from Istanbul who had beeninvited to sing at the service.

They were being treated as VIPs - the municipal government wanted them tofeel welcome - and we were being given a tour. About 1,000 Armenians came

to the rocky island for the service

Our guide was a young local woman called Fatima. She had won over her

guests by singing some lovely renditions of old Armenian ballads.

But when she pointed out the wasteland that is the old city today, all shecould say was that the Armenians had, in her words, "disappeared".

For a few moments the bus went quiet then everyone broke into song again.

None of the Istanbul Armenians wanted to talk about the past. They are avery small community, acutely aware of their vulnerability.

The Armenians who had come from the United States for the service were moreforthright.

"It's bittersweet, coming here," said one man whose grandparents had fledfrom Van during the killings.

"We're like parallel cultures, we even look the same," he said, "only wehate each other."

He said there had been strong pressure on him from other American Armeniansnot to come - they saw the one-off church service as a cynical publicitystunt by Turkey.

At times on Sunday it did seem like that.

The local government had invited an army of journalists to witness theservice who threatened to overwhelm the congregation. It also invited localMuslims, who talked and laughed all the way through it.

No-one made any effort to respect the sanctity of the ceremony.

A local boatman told me he was puzzled by the way they were praying.

He had never seen a Christian service before. "And why are they crying,"

he asked? He had no idea.

*No discussion*

The Turkish government still fiercely defends its version of history - thatwhat happened in 1915 was a tragedy, not a war crime.

In Van, it points out, the Armenians took up arms. For a while theycontrolled the city and later they helped enemy Russian forces to occupy it.Today, most of the population of Van are Kurds

In the chaos of war, it says, large numbers of Turkish Muslims also died.

But the annihilation of the Armenians is simply blanked out of the

history taught in Turkish schools.

There is no discussion, and real dangers await those who try to start

one.

It is less than four years since the Armenian journalist Hrant Dink wasmurdered in Istanbul by a young nationalist for calling for just such adebate.

"This church service is pointless if the Turkish government only wants

to appear more tolerant," one Armenian journalist told me.

"It has to change the mindset of the people. Make them confront their

past."

In the dreary avenues of modern-day Van, that process has not started yet.Its history is still buried under layers of concrete and by Turkey'suncompromising nationalist dogma.

The historic religious ceremony held September 19 at Sourb KhachChurch (Saint Cross) in eastern Turkey will have long-lasting effects,according to Armenians who anticipate more churches being restored andmore people reclaiming their ethnic identities, writes Hurriet DailyNews.

"Families from all corners of Turkey are coming to us in search of theroots of their families. Members of my own family have changed theiridentity cards to be listed as Christian," Archbishop Aram Atesyan,Deputy Patriarch of the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul, told thepaper. "Many people who had 'Muslim' written in their identity cardsare confessing that they are hidden Armenians."

Following the Armenian Genocide in the waning days of the OttomanEmpire, many of those remaining in the area changed their names andassumed identities as Kurdish Muslims. According to Atesyan, thecurrent process of democratization in Turkey is slowly eliminating thefears that led people to take such measures.

That process had perhaps its most dramatic manifestation to date inthe rite at the Sourb Khach on Akhtamar Island near the easternprovince of Van, the first such service to be held there in 95 years.Though that church has been the subject of intense media focus, it isonly one of several Armenian monasteries and churches in the province,where a number of villages are still known by their Armenian names.Local residents say many of the buildings have been demolished,especially since the mid-1990s.

In the village of Nareg, 40 kilometers north of Van, only a few

stones remain of the Naregevank Monastery complex, which a

man who identified himself only as Mahmet said the village people

were ordered to demolish in the 1990s. Homes have been built on

the former site in Nareg, a village named for the 10th-century

prominent philosopher and poet St. Grigor Narekatsi. Mahmet, 95,

who said he is of Kurdish origin, also claimed the governor's

building in the center of Van was built from the stones taken from

the Naregevank Monastery.

Varakavank Monastery to be restored

The Varakavank Monastery in the village of Yukari Bakracli, also knownas "seven churches," is little better off than its counterpart inNareg. Only one floor is left of the once-impressive monastery, builtin 1003 by the Armenian King Senekerim. All of the invaluablemanuscripts once held in its library have been lost.

The Van Governor's Office told the Daily News in August that themonastery will soon be restored, as will the Ktuts Monastery on

Lake Van's Carpanak Island, part of efforts to turn Van into the

culture and tourism center of Turkey's East.

The owner and guardian of the now-defunct Varakavank Monastery is anArmenian who hides his ethnic identity. Kerim avoided revealing hisfamily name and introduced himself as a Kurdish Muslim. Kerim saidwhen his father died he left the monastery's land to him and said heshould protect the church at any cost, in the name of Christ.

"His wish surprised me. We were Muslim and I did not understand

why he wanted me to protect the church in the name of Christ,"

Kerim said, adding that he only learned upon insistent questioning

of older relatives that the family was in fact Armenian.

Kerim said he worked as the village imam for all his life and lived asa pious Muslim. He keeps the monastery locked and maintains strictcontrol over the visitors who are allowed to enter. He cleaned theinterior on his own and laid all the stones in a corner, in numericalorder, in hopes that it will one day be restored. Because he isinfluential in the village, no one interferes with his efforts, butKerim said he has experienced a lot of difficulties in his life.

"It was not that easy to protect this place," he said.

Fears and hopes of finds

The small steps toward reclaiming Van's Armenian past have arousedsome controversy and speculation. Mehmet Tuncel Aga, the guide whoaccompanied the Daily News to the villages in the area, said the landsArmenians had to leave in 1915 are now under the control of his Burikiclan, one of the biggest in eastern and southeastern Anatolia. The sonof Fariz Aga, the head of the clan, Tuncel Aga said members of theTurkmen tribes who settled in the homes abandoned by the

Armenians feared their houses would be reclaimed by Armenians

who came to attend the Aktamar rite.

According to Tuncel Aga, there was considerable uneasiness among thembefore the ceremony, and many people came to share their fears withthe leaders of the tribe. "We said the fears are groundless and thatthe Armenians were just coming for the ceremony," he said, adding thathe made every effort to host the Armenians from Istanbul who came toVan for the event.

Tuncel Aga also said Victor Bedoyan, an Armenian-American

entrepreneur who tried to set up a business in Van in 2002, was treated

unjustly. "He opened a hotel here with the name Vartan, but some did

not want to see an Armenian managing a hotel. It was closed by the

Culture Ministry. We did not object to it. We made a mistake. We did

not foresee the current situation," Tuncel Aga said.

If the opportunity to open the hotel had not been taken from Bedoyan,then the region would see more tourists today, he added.

Coordinator of an educational commission created by Armenianfoundations of Istanbul at Yesilkoy School, Garo Paylan said that theArmenian schools of Istanbul lack teachers of Armenian language, as aresult of which children gradually forget their mother tongue.Besides, chairs of Armenian language do not operate in Turkey'suniversities yet.

"The number of people who know Western Armenian at an academicianlevel is very limited in Turkey - only 5-10 people," said Paylan,adding that they also face problems with books.

He noted that problems of security and existence of Armenian schoolsare partially solved today. "After the murder of editor-in-chief ofAgos paper Hrant Dink, the Armenian educational institutions werereceiving letters with threats. And some parents did not want theirchildren to attend Armenian schools. However, these difficulties havebeen overcome partially. Financing is another important issue. TheTurkish government does not allocate a penny. There are 16 Armenianschools in Istanbul with 3,000 students. Until 1974, the Turkish statehad been paying for each student under the Treaty of Lausanne.Currently, the community allocates funds, while the Diaspora does notassist anyhow the Armenian educational institutions of Istanbul,"Bianet agency quoted Paylan as saying.

The CIS Youth Symphonic Orchestra had a concert late on Friday inYerevan's Opera House, conducted by famous Russian violinist, ArtDirector of the Virtuosos of Moscow and SSSR Folk Artist VladimirSpivakov.

The concert had brought five young Azerbaijani musicians in a rareBaku-Yerevan flight. Accompanied by former Armenian ambassador toRussia, Armen Smbatyan, also Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Russia PoladBulbuloglu was attending the concert.

Before the concert would begin, Mikhail Shvidkov, advisor to Russianpresident on cooperation in cultural issues, welcomed the initiative.He said that this is a very brave decision as also Azerbaijanimusicians were taking part in the concert.

"These youth have come into this world to teach us that we must livein peace," said he.

After the concert famous Armenian duduk master, Jivan Gasparyan,shared impressions.

"It is a wonderful idea. This is the good will of the peoples, itsymbolizes peace. All the people must leave in peace together," saidhe.

Armenia's President Serzh Sargsyan and first lady Rita Sargsyan werealso present at the concert.

Coordinator of an educational commission created by Armenianfoundations of Istanbul at Yesilkoy School, Garo Paylan said that theArmenian schools of Istanbul lack teachers of Armenian language, as aresult of which children gradually forget their mother tongue.Besides, chairs of Armenian language do not operate in Turkey'suniversities yet.

"The number of people who know Western Armenian at an academicianlevel is very limited in Turkey - only 5-10 people," said Paylan,adding that they also face problems with books.

He noted that problems of security and existence of Armenian schoolsare partially solved today. "After the murder of editor-in-chief ofAgos paper Hrant Dink, the Armenian educational institutions werereceiving letters with threats. And some parents did not want theirchildren to attend Armenian schools. However, these difficulties havebeen overcome partially. Financing is another important issue. TheTurkish government does not allocate a penny. There are 16 Armenianschools in Istanbul with 3,000 students. Until 1974, the Turkish statehad been paying for each student under the Treaty of Lausanne.Currently, the community allocates funds, while the Diaspora does notassist anyhow the Armenian educational institutions of Istanbul,"Bianet agency quoted Paylan as saying.

The CIS Youth Symphonic Orchestra had a concert late on Friday inYerevan's Opera House, conducted by famous Russian violinist, ArtDirector of the Virtuosos of Moscow and SSSR Folk Artist VladimirSpivakov.

The concert had brought five young Azerbaijani musicians in a rareBaku-Yerevan flight. Accompanied by former Armenian ambassador toRussia, Armen Smbatyan, also Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Russia PoladBulbuloglu was attending the concert.

Before the concert would begin, Mikhail Shvidkov, advisor to Russianpresident on cooperation in cultural issues, welcomed the initiative.He said that this is a very brave decision as also Azerbaijanimusicians were taking part in the concert.

"These youth have come into this world to teach us that we must livein peace," said he.

After the concert famous Armenian duduk master, Jivan Gasparyan,shared impressions.

"It is a wonderful idea. This is the good will of the peoples, itsymbolizes peace. All the people must leave in peace together," saidhe.

Armenia's President Serzh Sargsyan and first lady Rita Sargsyan werealso present at the concert.

By September 1, 2010, the average monthly wages in Armenia had reached105,600 AMD (about U.S. $283), the Statistical Service of Armeniareports. The average monthly wages decreased by 7.7% as compared withlast month. The average monthly wage is 572.7 lari (about U.S. $318)in Georgia, and 317.4 manat (U.S. $396) in Azerbaijan. In Russia,the average monthly wages are 15,200 roubles (about U.S. $490) - a 2%decrease as compared with 2008, reported the Russian Federation ofIndependent Trade Unions.

The average monthly pension is U.S. $48 in Georgia, about U.S. $60in Armenia, about U.S. $110 in Azerbaijan and U.S. 230 in Russia.

ARMENIA'S ECONOMIC GROWTH SLOWSnews.amSept 22 2010

According to Armenian National Statistical Service, GDP growth rate inArmenia made 3.1% in the January-August period of 2010. The economicgrowth in the country is still slow.

The GDP in Armenia peaked in May, making 8.8%. The Armenian authoritiesexplain the economic downturn by 18% decline in the agriculturalsector. For the first time, a fall was registered in the constructionsector - 2.4%. The economic growth was preserved due to the industrialgrowth, totaling 11.5%.

According to forecast of the Armenian budget, annual GDP growth isto total 1.2%.

ARMENIA'S FOREIGN TRADE BALANCE UNHEALTHYnews.amSept 22 2010

This January-August, Armenia's exports totaled U.S. $600m, and importsU.S. $2.3bn, reported the Statistical Service of Armenia.

The unfavorable foreign trade balance reached U.S. $.1.76bn. andconstituted 32.7% of GDP. In this respect, Armenia is the "leader"in the CIS and West Europe.

The increased unfavorable foreign trade balance proves Armenia failedto overcome the economic crisis, and the Government's efforts toboost local production failed to produce the desired results.

TWO COMPANIES DOMINATE ARMENIA'S DAIRY MARKETnews.amSept 22 2010

The Commission for Protection of Economic Competition of Armeniaconducted a survey of the country's dairy market and found companiesdominating the market.

The Commission decided to enter the companies' names in the relevantregister. The following companies are dominating the long-life andpasteurized milk market: Dustr Marianna, Ashtarak-Kat and Chanakh,their market share being 69.4%. Dustr Marianna and Ashtarak-Katare dominating the sour cream market, their share being 85.1%. Thefollowing three companies are dominating the ice-cream market: Tamara,Ashtarak Kat and Grand Candy, there market share being 67%. TheAshtarak Kat Company has until recently dominated the ice-cream market.

Dustr Marianna, Ashtarak-Kat and Chanakh were also found dominating thematsoun (fermented milk) market, their share being 74.4%. Ashtarak Kat,Art Wine and Brand Leader were found dominating the yoghurt market(78.9%).

The following companies are dominating the kefir market: DustrMarianna, Ashtarak-Kat and Bio Kat (88%).

Dustr Marianna, Ashtarak-Kat and Chanakh are also dominatingArmenia's curds market now, their share being 86.8%. Dustr Mariannaand Ashtarak-Kat are dominating the curds cake market as well (96.2%).

ECONOMIC FREEDOMS IN ARMENIA HAVE DETERIORATED FOR

2 POINTS: FRASER INSTITUTETert.am23.09.10

Leading Canadian think tank Fraser Institute has released its annualreport on economic freedoms of 141 states across the world.

Armenia's positions have deteriorated for two points. In the previousreport Armenia was the 48th in the list but now it is the 50th.

Georgia has dramatically improved its positions (by 20 points) interms of economic freedoms. In the 2009 report Georgia was the 43rdcountry, but now it is the 23rd in the list.

Turkey, Azerbaijan and Iran are far behind Armenia. Turkey is the 74,Azerbaijan is the 93 and Iran is the 107th in the list prepared byCanadian specialists.

The analysis is based on such parameters as size of the government,legal system and property rights, sound money, and freedom to tradeinternationally, regulation, credit market regulation, labor marketregulation and business regulations.

The top five includes Hong Kong (1), Singapore (2), New Zealand (3),Switzerland (4) and Chile (5).

armenianow.com

BEST "CITY OF THE WORLD": ARMENIAN PAVILION AT

SHANGHAI-EXPO WINS GRAND PRIX23.09.10

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, Shanghei Expo-2010, China

Armenia celebrated its National Pavilion Day on Tuesday at ShanghaiExpo 2010 with the official unveiling of its pavilion titled, "Cityof the World."

Attended by Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, the event cameon the 19th anniversary of Armenia's independence from the SovietUnion and featured a special performance titled "Armenia: The Artof Creation".

According to official statistics from Shanghai Expo, more than 20,000people visit the Armenian Pavilion daily. So far 2 million, out ofmore than 53 million people who have visited the Expo, have been tothe Armenian pavilion.

According to the Shanghai Expo 2010 website, the pavilion invitedarchitects around the world to submit designs for their 'ideal city'.

"Armenia calls itself the motherland of the apricot and the pavilionfeatures an Apricot Garden. Visitors can taste various delicacies,while listening to music of a flute made from apricot wood. The'Gold and Silk' exhibition covers China-Armenia trade history,"reports the Shanghai Expo website.

The "Expo-Shanghai Online Bureau" granted the Grand Prix to theArmenian Pavilion for excellent organization and presentation. Thevirtual pavilion also won a silver medal for best technologicalsolutions and best implementation.

Manaseryan spoke on price hike and alarming issues of the currenteconomic development.

Deputy National Assembly , economist Tatul Manaseryan, said today thathe is concerned about the recent economic developments in Armenia,pointing out the indexes of economic growth registered in Armeniaduring the first eight months of this year.

"We had an 8.8 percent economic growth during the first five months,and a serious regress was registered during the next two months,which should be alarming for all of us," Manaseryan says.

The regress led to a sharp decline of the growth index down to 3.1percent (according to data of the National Statistical Service ofArmenia) during the first eight months of this year.

Manaseryan is most of all concerned about the decline in agricultural.

According to the economist, a policy must be developed in theagricultural sector, which would reduce price fluctuations. Bringingpotato as an example he said: "Last year, because of excessiveproduction, the minimum price per kilo of potato was 25 drams (7cents), this year it is ten times more expensive."

Chairman of the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs of the NationalAssembly Vardan Ayvazyan told journalists at a press conferenceThursday that currently all the necessary measures are taken tosuppress price hikes in Armenia.

"If there were no such measures, the price hike would have beeneven greater. The current price hike in Armenia is mainly the 'gift'presented by the foreign market; and I do not think it is caused bymonopolies in the market," Ayvazyan says.

INFLATION RATE EXCEEDS PLANNED INDEX IN ARMENIAAysorsept 23 2010

A 7.7 percent inflation rate is recorded in Armenia exceeding theindex stipulated by the law On State Budget, Chairman of the NationalAssembly Standing Committee on Financial-Credit, Budgetary and

Economic Affairs Gagik Minasyan told a news conference.

Meanwhile Minasyan positively assessed GDP index over the first 8months of 2010.

According to him, unfavorable agricultural year, problems in domesticmarkets, particularly, in grain market, resulted in rise in inflation.

The expert said that during the year CBA used mechanisms to suppressthe inflation, otherwise inflation rate would have been much higher.

He noted that inflation rate will approach the planned index by theend of the year.

HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK: NEW WAVE OF MIGRATION FROM ARMENIAnews.amSept 22 2010Armenia

According to statistical data, published by the General Department ofCivil Aviation at the RA Government, during the first 8 months of 2010,the number of passengers permanently leaving Armenia from the Zvartnotsand Shirak airports made 61.000. The Haykakan Zhamanak daily reports,574.000 passengers departed and 513.000 arrived in Armenia.

According to the Armenian National Statistic Service, the rate ofmigration made 48.000 in 2008 and 2009.

According to the daily, before the March 1 events the rate ofmigration in Armenia comprised 3.000 "According to" reliable sources,the Armenian leadership was informed, a new wave of migration hasstarted since 2008. This wave was relatively called "a third wave",as the migrants are mainly from privileged families," the daily reads.

A continued lack of further progress in Armenian-Azerbaijani peacetalks could increase the likelihood of another full-scale armedconflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a senior Russian Foreign Ministryofficial warned on Friday.

In an interview with the Azerbaijani APA news agency, Andrei Kelin,head of a ministry department on former Soviet states, also spoke outagainst Turkey's involvement in international efforts to resolve theKarabakh conflict.

Kelin said that the conflicting parties still have `fundamentaldifference' on some of the key basic principles of a Karabakh settledfavored by Russia, the United States and France. He declined toelaborate on those principles, saying only that `there are really notmany of them' and that both sides should display a `political will' toovercome these disagreements.

`If we don't do that, then the situation will probably continue toescalate,' Kelin said. `It is already quite tense, skirmishes on theline of contact are not subsiding, there are more and more [armed]incidents, and both sides are beefing up forces. Therefore, there arefears that sooner or later this escalation will develop into somethingmore large-scale.'

The European Union's special envoy to the South Caucasus, PeterSemneby, issued a similar warning during a recent visit to theconflict zone. Speaking to Reuters, Semneby said intensifiedskirmishes there risk spiraling out of control and called for thestrengthening of the ceasefire between Armenian and Azerbaijaniforces.

The U.S., Russian and French mediators acting under the aegis of theOSCE Minsk Group regularly urge the parties to respect theRussian-mediated truce that stopped the first Karabakh war in1994. Nonetheless, truce violations along the `line of contact' aroundKarabakh appear to have become more frequent in recent months.

Armenia and Azerbaijan claim to largely agree with the proposed basicprinciples of a Karabakh settlement, while making diametricallyopposite interpretations of their essence. Baku says it will neveraccept the loss of Karabakh, while Yerevan rules out any settlementthat would place the Armenian-populated territory back underAzerbaijani rule.

The three Minsk Group co-chairs held on Wednesday separate meetingswith the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in New York todiscuss their next steps to be taken ahead of the OSCE's Decembersummit in Kazakhstan. Whether or not they hope to achieve moreprogress in the stalled peace process in time for the summit is notyet clear.

Interviewed by several Azerbaijani media outlets late last month,Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow wants the partiesto sign an interim framework agreement that would leave out the `twoor three issues' that have not yet been agreed upon. He said bothWashington and Paris support this idea.

Lavrov did not specify whether this is what Russian President DmitryMedvedev proposed to his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts duringtheir trilateral talks in Saint Petersburg last June. The Armenianside reacted positively to Medvedev's undisclosed proposal, whereasBaku rejected it as unacceptable.

In remarks that will be welcomed by Armenian officials, Kelin alsomade clear that Moscow is against Turkish involvement in theco-chairs' activities. `Turkey has attempted to actively participatein this endeavor lately,' the Russian Foreign Ministry official toldAPA. `We consider that counterproductive because we have a uniquesituation in which the positions of the USA, France and Russiaconverge and ... this allows us to guarantee that future agreementswill not collapse. And France and the USA support us on this.'

Turkey has stepped up its interest in the Karabakh conflict over thepast year as part of its efforts to allay Azerbaijan's concerns overits rapprochement with Armenia. Ankara now makes the normalization ofTurkish-Armenian relations conditional on the conflict's resolution.

Armenia rejects this linkage and remains strongly opposed to anyTurkish role in the Karabakh peace process.

Armenia has started receiving thousands of tons of grain and cookingoil in humanitarian assistance provided by Russia's government, asenior government official said on Thursday.

Emergencies Minister Armen Yeritsian said the 5,000 tons of grain and1,000 tons of sunflower will help the country cope with a recent sharpincrease in international prices of these foodstuffs.

The price hike followed a severe summer drought that devastated cropsacross Russia and led the Russian government to ban all grainexports. The measure pushed up the cost of wheat in internationalmarkets to the highest level since the 2007-08 global food crisis. Asa result, bread prices in Armenia soared by more than 20 percent inJuly and August.

Imported wheat, most of it coming from Russia, meets nearly two-thirdsof Armenia's domestic demand estimated at roughly 600,000 metric tonsper annum. Armenian officials have repeatedly assured the populationin recent months that the Russian export ban will not lead to wheatshortages in the local market.

Speaking at a weekly meeting of Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian'scabinet, Yeritsian said nearly half of the sunflower oil donated byMoscow has already been shipped to Armenia. `The rest of the oil willbe imported within one week, after which we will start grainshipments,' he told fellow ministers.

An official at the Armenian Emergencies Ministry told RFE/RL'sArmenian service that the grain deliveries will start on October 4.

It is not yet clear just how the authorities in Yerevan plan to usethe food aid. Yeritsian said only that it will be stored at warehousesof his ministry's Agency for State Reserves for the time being.

Government critics believe that the impact of external factors ondomestic food prices would have been less severe had lucrative importsof wheat and other basic foodstuffs to Armenia not been effectivelymonopolized by a handful of government-linked businessmen.

The government, for its part, says the best way to guard againstinternational price fluctuations is to ease Armenia's heavy dependenceon wheat imports. It approved in July a five-year plans of actionswhich officials said will boost domestic wheat output to over 350,000tons by 2013.

RFE/RL Report

Armenia To Open New Embassies23.09.2010

Armenia will soon open embassies in Japan and the Netherlands, raisingto more than 30 the number of its diplomatic missions abroad,President Serzh Sarkisian's office announced on Thursday.

Sarkisian signed a corresponding decree earlier in the day. He has yetto name the Armenian ambassadors to be based in the two nations.

Armenia currently has 29 embassies around the world, includingvirtually all major Western capitals. Many of the diplomats headingthem also serve as ambassadors to other states lacking permanentArmenian missions.

In one such example, Sarkisian assigned on Thursday his Athens-basedenvoy in Greece, Gagik Ghalachian, to also perform the duties ofArmenia's ambassador to Serbia.

The upcoming opening of the Armenian embassies in Tokyo and The Haguereflects a slow but steady expansion of Armenia's diplomatic presenceabroad since the early 1990s. Yerevan opened an embassy in Madrid,Spain earlier this year.

It is not clear whether the upcoming launch of the new missions willbe fully financed by the Armenian government. The Armenian statebudget for this years sets aside only 37 million drams ($102,000) forthe purchase of new embassy buildings.

Many of the existing embassy premises were purchased and donated toArmenia by wealthy members of its worldwide Diaspora.

Welsh Armenians, fearful of a repeat of the attack on the ArmenianGenocide Monument at the Temple of Peace, Cardiff which happened onHolocaust Day 2008, will put an all-night guard on the monument thisfriday night, in advance of a major exhibition at the Senedd building ofthe National Assejmbly of Wales in Cardiff Bay,The opening will be at3.30 p.m. on Saturday. This will be preceedesd by a Badarak, (ArmenianMass) in Ararat Baptist Church, The Common, Whitchurch, Cardiff at 11a.m. on Saturday morning. Details of the exhibition are below.The exhibition sets the record straight on Turkey's policies towards itsminorities. We believe rhat no-one will be fooled by the " magnanimous"gesture by the Turkish government of allowing Armenians to worship oncea year in what was once Aghtamar Church, on lake Van , but nowconfiscated and turned into a museum. While one church has been restoredas a museum (deleting all evidence of its Armenian heritage), hundredsof Churches have been plundered and demolished, and anf the descendantsof those Armenians forcibly converted during the Genocide of 1915 arestill fearful of openly living as Armenians.

Major Exhibition on Cultural Genocide in "Turkish" Armenia in theNational AssemblyThis exhibition, showing how Armenian churches and monasteries weredestroyed by the modern Turkish Statein the years following the 1915Genocide and up to thepresent time , will take place in the main"Senedd" building of the National Assembly of Wales in Cardiff Baybetween the 25th and the 30th September.

You are warmly invited to visit the manned exhibition at any time duringthis period, especially on Saturday, 25th September for the "opening",at approx 3.30 pm, following a Badarak(Armenian Mass) by the Very Revd.Dr.Vahan Hovhanessian in Ararat Baptist Church, The Common,Whitchurch, Cardiff, CF14 1PT at 11 a. m. (the very first time a fullArmenian mass will have been celebrated in Wales)

Also on Thursday, 30th September at 12 30.p.m. a guided tour of thepictures will be provided (and every 15 minutes till 1.30 p.m.)

This exhibition shows shows that the genocide did not end in 1915 butcontinues as Cultural Genocide to this day.